Falling for the Dork
by TheNovelArtist
Summary: What's a girl supposed to do when she realizes that her total dork of a friend is actually a perfect 10?
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: This is my Adriennette April 2019 challenge where I'm doing all the prompts at the end of the month because I didn't do them daily XD Here's the first set. ;)_

* * *

**_1._****_Just Friends_**

"It's not like anyone is going to know who I am."

That was the argument that finally allowed him to go to public school for his last three years. Adrien didn't press for the year and a half after mother had passed on, but now, there was no reason for him to put off asking. Sure, his father may be Gabriel Agreste, but as far as anyone knew, Gabriel didn't have a son, so that wouldn't cause an uproar or anything.

Or, maybe people knew—it was probably on Wikipedia—but it wasn't well-known.

Either way, Adrien as determined to draw as little attention to himself as he could. To further his disguise, he put on his favorite punny cat shirt.

"I can't believe you collect those abominations," his father grumbled.

"They're hilarious!" Adrien argued with a grin, looking down at it. "What's so wrong with it?"

Gabriel sighed. "And couldn't you comb your hair?"

Adrien ran his hands through it the thick, blond strands. "Why? Is it bad? I thought it looked fine."

Again, Gabriel sighed, this time rubbing his eyes under his glasses. "Well, no one is going to mistake you for a son of mine."

"That's kinda the point, dad," Adrien said with a smirk.

The very corner of Gabriel's mouth twitched up. "Also, don't forget you have fencing tonight."

"Don't worry. I won't miss it. It's right after school."

Gabriel gave a nod. "Have a good day."

"Thanks, father. See you tonight."

* * *

"I'm so late!" Marinette screeched as she bolted out of her house, nearly getting hit by a car and running over a couple other people on her way to school.

Thankfully, she wasn't late. However, it wasn't all sunshine and roses. Because before she could take a seat in her normal seat that has been her seat for the past several school years, she had to get past the guy putting gum on her seat.

"Hey!"

The boy whipped around, his eyes wide behind his thick, black lenses.

"Just what do you think you're doing?" Marinette challenged.

"I… uh…"

She scoffed. "Whatever. Just leave."

He gaped like a fish the next few seconds, Chloe and Sabrina's laughter ringing in the back ground. "Looks like someone's caught, Adrikins."

Marinette rolled her eyes. Of course, this boy was friends with Chloe. Shocking, considering that he clearly had zero style with that stupid, baggy cat pun t-shirt. "Just leave," she snipped, taking a tissue from her bag and putting it over the gum.

"You heard the fashion disaster, Adrien. Move it."

The boy was stunned for a moment, but did as asked, all while Chloe laughed and mocked "Adrikins" and Marinette.

Great. New year and nothing had changed.

* * *

Adrien felt horrible. Just how was he supposed to fix this mess when the girl he'd royally screwed up with wouldn't let him get anywhere near her. He supposed that was partly his fault for not explaining anything, but she had a fierce look in her eye that kinda scared him a little. She may be small, but he honestly believed she could hand him his rear on a silver platter.

He was about to head out when he noticed that the rain had trapped said fierce girl he was intimidated by under the overhanging in front of the school.

"Hey."

Marinette immediately turned away.

He cringed. "Um… I really just want to say that I'm sorry. I really was trying to get the gum off your seat. I swear."

It was barely noticeable, but Marinette turned her head toward him.

"I haven't been to school before, and I've never seen Chloe _that_ mean. I'm really sorry."

This time, Marinette turned all the way back toward him. "You're apologizing for her?" she asked, brow knit together in confusion and anger.

"No, uh… I mean I'm just sorry she's that mean. Particularly to you, it seems." With that, he opened his umbrella and held it out to her. "Here. A peace offering. My car is here to pick me up, and I can get another."

The anger on her face gradually faded, leaving a much softer expression. Hesitantly, she reached for the offered umbrella. "Are you sure?"

He flashed her a smile. "Yeah. You were grumbling about having to walk home in the rain in class."

She took the umbrella. "Thanks. I'll return it tomorrow."

"Don't worry about it," he said with a shrug. "I'll see you tomorrow."

She gave him a smile. It was small, but he felt like he'd been graced with a gift. "Marinette," she said, sticking one hand out, clearly inviting him to shake it.

He grinned, taking her hand to shake. "Adrien."

"I'll see you tomorrow, Adrien. Thank you again for the umbrella. I really appreciate it."

And just like that, she was gone.

Adrien's smile was wide as he ran off into the rain and slid into the back seat of the car. It was too early to tell, and maybe it was too early to call it anything more than acquaintances, but he hoped that one day, maybe, they could be friends.

* * *

**_2._****_Seat Buddies_**

It was the second day of school, and the rain hadn't let up. It was both a blessing and a curse because that meant she remembered to pack the umbrella Adrien had loaned her as well as one of her own.

However, that didn't help her get to school on time. In any sort of dry condition.

Still, she arrived right before the bell rang and took a seat in the only empty spot. Conveniently, right next to Adrien.

When the teacher wasn't looking, Marinette pulled the umbrella out of her bag and passed it under the desk to Adrien. "Thank you," she whispered.

He stared at it a moment, stunned, before taking the umbrella and slipping it in his bag. "You're welcome."

Marinette frowned. "Were you not expecting it back?"

He shrugged. "I don't know what to expect. And Chloe doesn't give anything back."

Her brow furrowed. "Why do you always talk about Chloe? Don't you have any other friends."

"No."

The answer itself was surprising, but the bluntness made her jump.

"I was homeschooled until I came here," he continued. "I know Chloe because of a family friend, but I don't really have anyone else."

Marinette glanced toward the front, uncertain of what to say as well as checking to make sure the teacher hadn't caught onto their conversation. "Well," she whispered back. "That's just ridiculous. You have me. We're seat buddies now."

His expression was one of surprise, but he quickly schooled it and glanced back at the front. "Really?"

"Totally."

His smile was worth its weight in gold. "I'd like that, Seat Buddy."

* * *

**_3._****_Embarrassing_**

They became fast friends. By the end of the month, Marinette could say that he could see Adrien becoming her best friend, second to Alya, of course. Despite only knowing each other a short time, the duo started hanging out at Marinette's house after school once they learned they loved the same video games.

When Adrien was free, that is. Between fencing and mandarin lessons and piano, he was seemingly swamped all the time.

"Who are your parents that they make you do all these lessons?"

Adrien pouted as Marinette won the first round of UMS III. "How do you always beat me!"

"I'm magic," she commented. "Now, answer the question."

Adrien just shrugged. "What does it matter?"

"I just want to know what kind of parents, who are clearly wealthy considering your car and the fact you take a ton of lessons, let you walk out of the house dressed like _that._"

"Like what?" Adrien asked, clearly confused.

Marinette motioned to his baggy, neon green hoodie and his messy hair. "You know."

"No, I don't."

"In stupid cat pun t-shirts—"

He gasped, slapping a hand over his chest in mock offence. "Cat puns are the best."

She leveled him a look all while trying not to laugh. "You're a loon. How are we friends."

"We're seat buddies." Adrien always said that with pride, like some giddy child showing off his prized possession.

"You're such a dork."

"You're stuck with me; get over it. Now let me beat you."

"Not a chance."

After two more rounds, Marinette offered to grab some snacks for the two of them. Adrien willingly followed her down into the bakery where they snagged some cupcakes that didn't make the cut.

"Yum!" Adrien said, plenty happy as he carried a couple cupcakes up the stairs back to the apartment.

"You haven't even eaten them yet," Marinette giggled.

"I don't have to to know they're amazing."

She rolled her eyes, then grabbed two plates from the cupboard to catch the crumbs before the duo sat down at the kitchen table.

After a single bite, Adrien moaned his appreciation. "See. They're perfect."

She shook her head. "Please. Even if they weren't, you'd make a show just to prove a point."

They may have only known each other a month, but Marinette knew that when Adrien got that kind of smug look, it only meant trouble. Instead of saying a word, he bit into the cupcake again, moaning loudly and doing some sort of stupid happy dance.

As he went in for the second bite, though, Marinette had had enough and flicked the cupcake upwards, smashing it into his nose and getting frosting all over his glasses.

"Hey!" he cried indignantly.

"It's your fault."

"My fault?"

Marinette giggled. "You're such a dork."

He pouted, and she smugly took a bite of her cupcake.

Her mistake.

Adrien was quick to return the favor. Now, he was the one laughing while she had chocolate frosting clinging to her nose.

"Okay," Marinette said, grabbing her other cupcake, a wicked grin bubbling up. "If that's how you want to play, it's _on._"

In a second, the two teens smashed the cupcakes into each other's faces.

Too bad the frosting on Marinette's cupcake fell off onto Adrien's shirt before the cupcake hit his face.

After a moment of laughter and comments of them being way too juvenile, they grabbed paper towels to start cleaning up.

"We should wash that frosting off before it stains," Marinette commented, pointing at the large chocolate smear down the front of his hoodie. "I can see if I have anything that fits so that I could throw it in the wash for you."

"That's fine," Adrien said, taking off his glasses. "I have a shirt on underneath."

Before Marinette could say a word, Adrien had pulled his hoodie up over his head, revealing a tight, black tee he had on underneath. He bundled up the hoodie so as not to get chocolate everywhere, then turned to her, running a hand through his hair absently.

And that was the moment Marinette knew she was in _serious _trouble.

"Marinette?"

She shook herself from her trance at the mention of her name. "Yeah? What?"

"What should I do with this?" He motioned to the hoodie in his hands.

"I'll take it," she said quickly. "I'll throw it in the wash and get the chocolate right out. Yup. I'll be back in a moment."

She could feel the pink on her cheeks as she took the jacket and ran. She hoped beyond hoped she wasn't staring too long; she'd be beyond embarrassed if that was the case.

After all, what's a girl supposed to do when she realizes that underneath the cat puns, baggy hoodies, nerdy glasses, and messy hair that her total dork of a friend is actually a surprisingly toned perfect 10?


	2. Chapter 2

**_4._****_Hide me_**

"Hide me."

Adrien stood shock still as Marinette ran behind his open locker door. "What—"

"_Where is Marinette Dupain-Cheng?!_" A voice screeched from outside the locker room.

Adrien knew that voice. A little too well. He gave the girl cowering in his locker a flat look. "What happened?" he deadpanned.

"Chloe _conveniently_ tripped and 'fell', 'dropping' her coffee all over my bag, so I told her to…ah…"

Adrien's brow furrowed as he watched his friend slowly grow a pink color. She turned away quickly. "So I spat something out I shouldn't have and now she's pissed," she finished rapidly.

Adrien frowned at his friend's change of demeanor. What could have caused it, he didn't know.

"I think she's gone," Adrien said. "If you want to leave."

"I… um… are you sure?"

Adrien sighed. "I'll go check." He reached past her into his locker to grab his shirt that he hung at the back. Her cheeks seemed to grow redder at that action, but he ignored it in favor of putting on his shirt and going to check if Chloe really was gone.

Which she wasn't. She was lurking around.

"No," Adrien said, returning to his locker to see Marinette hiding her face in her hands and mumbling something incoherent. "She's still there. But you can't stay here forever. This is the boy's locker room."

Marinette groaned, loudly.

"Hold on," Adrien said, reaching past her to grab his hoodie. "I have an idea."

Her fingers split apart so she could peek through her hands at him. "What?"

Gathering his hoodie up, he pulled it over her. He ignored just how cute she was in the oversized item and flipped up the hood over her head. "There. Now, use me as a shield and we'll walk straight past Chloe without anyone being the wiser. Okay?"

She pushed her arms through the sleeves and pulled the hood down as far over her red face as possible. "Okay."

* * *

**_5._****_Clumsy _**

Marinette could think of much better ways to spend a Saturday than staring down an inquisition.

Alya was the leader, the scariest of the bunch, followed closely by Alix, but for a whole other reason. Alix looked way too smug for her own good. Then there was Mylene who looked concerned, Juleka who looked curious, and Rose who was super innocent but was a thousand percent likely to blurt out something hugely embarrassing about love that would start the rest of the pack down a bunny trial Marinette was _never_ going to recover from.

"Marinette," Alya began. "We can't help but notice you've gotten a little… clumsier than usual."

Marinette buried her head in her hands and groaned. No point in hiding it.

"Do you care to explain why you somehow start tripping over your own feet just as you started to pull your act together?"

"No."

"Let's rephrase," Alix said, smirk far too big for Marinette's liking. "We know why. Care to admit it?"

"No."

"Too bad."

"You two did hit it off," Mylene spoke up. "And became fast friends. And I guess he is kinda cute."

"In a nerdy way," Juleka quietly added.

Marinette blushed. They had _no_ idea. Why he hid those fantastical looks of his under a nerdy exterior was a good question, but one for another day.

"He's not half bad," Alya admitted. "He's like a golden retriever puppy. And about as dorky as one, too."

"He does look like a golden retriever puppy, doesn't he?" Rose giggled. "I wonder if he's as snuggly as one."

And in a flash, as Marinette predicted, all the girls' attention then focused on her.

"How am I supposed to know?" Marinette defended

"Do you want to know?" Alya asked.

Marinette was beginning to feel like a mouse being observed by hawks. "No."

"Liar," was the chorus.

"Otherwise," Alix said. "You wouldn't be tripping over your own two feet."

Again, Marinette buried her head in her hands. This was going to be a long day.

* * *

**_6._****_Secrets_**

After several months of school, they were assigned their first partner project, and Adrien decided to invite Marinette over to his house this time. No, there wouldn't be snacks, but he felt a little bit excited to have Marinette over and show her his house for once.

"Wow," Marinette commented, her jaw on the ground. And they hadn't even gotten into the house yet.

"Yeah," Adrien dismissed. "It's big, but it's almost too big, you know?"

"I… can see that," Marinette said.

Adrien led Marinette inside the house, where once again, her jaw was on the ground.

"Wait," she said, eyes locking on the huge picture of him and his father in the foyer. "You're the son of Gabriel Agreste?"

Adrien frowned, head tilting to the side. "Uh, yeah? Did you not figure that out? I thought you would have since we have the same last name and all."

"No, no. I know you two share a last name. And I knew Gabriel had a son —he's my favorite fashion designer and I probably know more than I should—but like… I didn't expect you to be his son. 'Cause like… what self-respecting fashion designer would let their kid walk out of the house dressed like you?"

"Hey!" Adrien cried, the comment stinging a bit more than expected even though he knew Marinette was mostly teasing him.

"I find myself asking the same thing."

Adrien froze upon hearing his father's voice. He turned to where his father was standing at the top of the stairs looking down at them with the slightest hint of amusement on his face.

"Hello, sir," Marinette quickly said, straightening her posture. "I'm Marinette, Adrien's friend. It's really nice to meet you."

"I've heard a fair amount about you, too, Miss Dupain-Cheng," Gabriel returned.

"Father," Adrien spoke up. "Marinette is here for a project we have to complete."

"Ah. Then you'll be here a while."

"Yeah," Adrien said. "And maybe a few more times this week, too."

His father gave a single nod. "She is more than welcome here. But I assume you two want to get started immediately, so I will leave you to it. It was nice to meet you, Miss Dupain-Cheng."

With that, he marched down the stairs and to his office.

Marinette turned back to Adrien. "I can't believe your dad is _Gabriel Agreste,_" she hissed.

Adrien just flashed her a grin.

"Any other secrets I should be aware of?"

"No, that's it."

"Okay. I can handle that."

* * *

**_7._****_Sweet Tooth_**

If Marinette learned one thing about Adrien, it was that he had a sweet tooth unlike any other.

It was what led her to handmake treats personally for him and either having them ready after school when he came over or taking them to class. However, the problem with taking treats to class was that usually two _other_ people wanted said treats.

"That's because your stuff is the _best_," Alya whined, looking longingly at the box of macrons.

Sighing, Marinette turned the box around and allowed Alya and Nino to steal a couple macrons from the box.

"Best. Treats. _Ever._" Nino said around a mouth full of macron.

Adrien took another macron from the box. "I know, right. Marinette is the best cook in the world."

"I call dibs on Marinette," Alya joked. "She will be my personal baker forever."

"No way!" Adrien cried.

And then Marinette's mind proceeded to burst, rendering her completely non-functioning as Adrien wrapped his arms tightly around her waist and put his chin on her shoulder. "Mine," he growled maybe a bitt _too _possessively. "All mine."

Marinette was one thousand percent certain her face—and her ears and her neck and her chest—was ladybug red.

Alya looked _way_ too smug. "Why should I just hand her over, Agreste?"

"I'll fight you."

"You think you can beat me?"

"When Marinette's on the line, absolutely."

She may have imagined it, but she was certain his grip on her tightened. She had to take a deep breath. Heaven help her, she was going to die of her heart beating too fast.

At least it would be a sweet death. A very sweet one.


	3. Chapter 3

**_8._****_A Favor Only You Can Do_**

When Marinette called and asked him for a favor, the only correct answer was yes. He didn't even know what he was doing other than going over to Marinette's house, but that didn't matter because she was his best friend and if she needed something, he'd happily assist.

"Honey, I'm home!" he called out teasingly as he headed up to her room.

When he caught sight of her, she was beet red and her smile was forced. "Uhh… welcome home?"

Her forced smile was much more of a cringe now. Adrien felt like that was his fault because all Marinette seemed to do lately was blush in front of him. If he knew how to approach the subject of what was happening to his best friend, he would. However, he had enough social skills to know that asking a woman why she blushed all the time was _not_ the way to handle anything.

So, he ignored it and did his best to try to make her relaxed around him by being the biggest dork possible. "You called; I came. What do you need help with?"

Marinette gave him a half smile. "Well… do you know that design competition I entered?"

"Yeah."

"Well…" She tapped the tips of her index fingers together, unable to look him in the eye. "Turns out… you can either send pictures of your clothes on the mannequin… or with a model. But models are highly encouraged."

Adrien nodded. "And…"

Her blue eyes looked up at him through her long lashes. "Would you be my model?"

Instantly, his mind went blank. She wanted him to be her _model?_ Like, try to look like one of those ridiculous pretty-but-self-centered jerks his father hired for the sole purpose of looking beautiful? "Uh…" Adrien paused, his mind working.

"It's okay if you don't!" Marinette quickly said. "I don't want to pressure you or anything."

"You think I'm good enough to?"

Marinette's jaw proceeded to drop to the floor. "Y…you're kidding me, right?"

Adrien shook his head. He knew he was somewhat good looking, but model-worthy? If he _was_ worthy enough, his father would have definitely asked him to model for the company by now.

"If I didn't think you were good enough, I wouldn't have asked you."

His heart skipped at that. "Really?"

She blushed. "Yeah."

Absently, Adrien rubbed the back of his neck. When she put it that way, there was absolutely no way he could turn her down. "Okay. What do you need me to do?"

A few minutes later, Adrien was changing into the ensemble that Marinette had put together for him. When he glanced at himself in her bathroom mirror, he had to admit he looked good. Marinette was a fantastic designer and no one could say otherwise.

He stepped out of the bathroom and back to her room. He gave her a spin for approval. "Well?"

She looked intently at him, fingers tapping her lips in thought. No longer was she blushy; she was in full designer mode. "Come here."

He did as directed, only to become vaguely uncomfortable under her scrutinizing gaze. She reached for his glasses, carefully taking them off his face and sparking a fire in his cheeks. She then ran her fingers through his hair, and he felt his face positively flame. Not so much because of the action itself.

More because he didn't want her to _stop._

Even though his vision was blurry and his heart was pounding, he could imagine in perfect clarity the proud smile Marinette was giving him. "Yes, you'll do _purr-_fectly."

His heart skipped an odd beat. As it always did on the rare occasion she broke out the puns.

What was going _on_ with him today? Why couldn't he just pull himself together?

"Now," she directed, pulling him out of his thoughts. "Stand still and let me tailor all the outfits I have to fit you perfectly. Then, it should be all ready in a couple days for you to come over again and let me take pictures."

Five days later, after a busy Saturday of him helping her take his own pictures, Adrien finally got to see all the photos she took. It was kinda hard to miss when they decorated the entire wall above her desk.

He denied that he felt a pang of loss when Marinette took all them down the next week for some reason. However, he learned on accident that she kept a few pinned on the corkboard next to her bed and the rest hidden safely under her mattress. That little fact was enough to satisfy the oddly angry beast that had been so unsettled inside him.

* * *

**_9._****_Birthday Gifts_**

Adrien had been preparing for this for months. It was Marinette's birthday this week, meaning the class was thinking up presents. The girls talked about girly things or sewing notions or whatnot. But Adrien had a plan. A plan that he'd been hatching for months and was preparing to execute.

On his way to the fabric store, Nino had shot him a text begging for help on what to get Marinette. Adrien smirked.

_I have an idea._ Adrien texted. _I'll pick them up for you and then you can take the credit._

_I can get them._ Nino texted back. _What is it?_

_Needles for her sewing machine. Her last one is dull. I'm heading to a fabric store now. Want me to pick up the ones she needs?_

There was a long pause. _How do you know this? Sewing needles go dull?_

Adrien smirked. _Yes they do depending on the fabric and how much you use the needle. Marinette has been complaining about fabric getting sucked into her machine and she's done everything else to fix it meaning the needle is dull. And if she had more, she would have replaced it and wouldn't be complaining._

_Dude._ Nino texted back. _How do you know this?_

Adrien chuckled. _I KNOW things ;)_

_Freaky. I'll meet you there so I can at least put effort into getting them._

_K. Then I'll help you find the ones specifically for her machine._

_There's different kinds?_

Adrien just laughed. Oh, Nino had no idea.

He sent off an answer of _yes there are a lot of different kinds. Just meet me here and I'll help you._

After telling Nino exactly which store he was heading into, Nino sent him back a text with a thumbs up emoji and a _be there asap. But watching little bro now. Waiting for mom to come back._

_That's fine,_ Adrien texted back after stepping foot in the store and suddenly feeling overwhelmed, which was a rare thing for him. _I'll be here a while._

It was Adrien's first time in a fabric store, meaning he really had no clue what he was doing or where anything was. However, he had a list of fabrics and yardages that Marinette estimated she would need for each design she constantly talked about. It had been risky sneaking look-sees in her sketchbook to get them without her being the wiser.

This trip would not go to waste.

A solid two hours later scouring the store and comparing fabric, he finally had collected the bolts he needed. Meaning now he had to take a number and wait in line to get said fabric cut.

And from the looks of it, he was going to be here another two hours.

"Dude," Nino called, tapping Adrien's shoulder. "Sorry. Mom had me watching my little bro so I had to wait for her to get back."

"No prob," Adrien dismissed with a wave. "Took me that long just to find everything and now I have a line to wait for to get the lengths cut."

"What number are you?"

"Fifty-nine."

Nino frowned. "Twenty-some people ahead of you?"

"Yup. And don't look suspicious as you take a look at that group of quilters over there."

"How do you know they're quilters?"

"I just do."

Nino was subtle, pretending he was glancing past the five gray-haired ladies chatting in a circle, each of their carts filled to the brim with fabric bolts.

"Ouch, dude," Nino whispered, turning back to Adrien.

"Yup. Let's go shop for needles. And then you're staying with me until I can get this cut, 'cause it's gonna be a while."

"You saved my butt with this. I owe you at least that much."

* * *

Marinette was very thankful to Nino about the sewing needles. "I don't know who told you, but you are a lifesaver and I love you."

"You're welcome," Nino said, beaming in pride.

When Marinette wasn't looking, Nino nodded at Adrien in a way that said _thanks, bro._

Adrien shot back a wink.

"Last one," Alya said, shoving the gift box into Marinette's lap. "And it's huge."

"You didn't go overboard, did you, Adrien?" she asked with a smile, though Adrien could see the seriousness behind it.

"No," he dismissed. In truth, it was likely she would see his actions as 'going overboard', but she was his first real friend and his ultimate best friend, so he really didn't see an issue going what she would consider 'overboard' if he didn't consider it overboard.

She undid the bow on top of the box, unwrapping the thick ribbon so she could open the box.

Her face lit up immediately at the cut of ladybug print fabric that lay on top. She pulled it out and began inspecting it. "You remembered?" she squealed excitedly.

Adrien nodded. "Of course. You love that design."

"You're amazing!"

"Marinette," Alya broke in. "Looks like there's more."

Marinette seemed shocked by that statement, but dove back in, her smile slowly fading with each cut she pulled out. "You went overboard!" she cried once all five swaths of fabric were on out of the box.

"No," he said. "That's only enough to make the ladybug sundress, the blouse, the skirt—"

"Adrien," she interrupted. "No. You didn't need—"

"I don't care," Adrien said, talking over her again. "I wanted to get that for you—"

"But Adrien—"

"No! Just take it."

"It's too much."

"Well, I can't take it back."

Marinette glowered at him.

Adrien grinned. "You're my best friend," he said. "Let me get this for you."

After a short stare-off, Marinette looked back at the pile of fabric. And sighed. She stood, walked over to Adrien, and wrapped her arms around his torso. "Thank you," she said.

His heart skipped a beat, and Adrien happily wrapped his arms around her, squeezing her against him. "You're welcome, Marinette. Happy Birthday."

* * *

**_10._****_Puns_**

It was the first day out of school for summer vacation, and Marinette spent the day at Adrien's house because playing video games was a lot more fun on his huge screen.

Eventually, Marinette pulled out the snacks that she'd brought to munch on, which allowed her the time to finally ask the question she had had on her mind a while. "Is that a new cat pun shirt?"

Adrien looked down at the blue shirt with three cartoon cats piled on top of on another with the caption 'purramid'. "No. I've had this one a while."

"I've never seen it."

"You haven't seen half my collection, probably."

Marinette quirked a brow. "Really?" she asked dubiously. "Because I think I've seen enough that you could probably go a solid month wearing cat pun tees and not wear the same one twice."

Adrien smirked. "You doubt the extensiveness of my carefully procured cat pun t-shirt collection?"

"I'm going to regret this."

"Come on."

Adrien took her hand in his, and Marinette felt a blush rise to her cheeks at the contact. Something in the back of her mind was screaming _He's holding my hand! He likes me!_ while the more rational part of her mind reminded her _Keep it together, loon. He's just leading you to his closet._

A closet that was twice the size of her and her parents closet combined.

"Here we go," Adrien said, pointing to a line of tee shirts. "For your _purr-_rusal." He shot her a wink, and she rolled her eyes even though her heart was going wild.

Within two minutes, she learned that Adrien had been right: his collection was extensive. More extensive than she realized. There were the ones she'd seen such as 'you've cat to be kitten me right meow' or cats in boxes with 'I fits, I sits' or cats with sunglasses that said 'Cattitude'.

And then there were the ones she hadn't seen before.

"Really?" She pulled out one that said 'Catffee' with a bunch of coffee drinks labeled thigs like 'Catpurrchino' and 'Ameowicano' and 'Meowca' on the front. "Really?" Marinette repeated, turning the shirt toward him.

Adrien's grin widened in pride.

She rolled her eyes and kept looking. There was a cat in a castle with a crown on its head with the caption 'Chateau'. There was a cat playing with a music note titled 'Quatre.'

"Get it?" Adrien cried in excitement when she showed that one to him. "It's a music pun _and_ a cat pun!"

"Where's the cat pun?"

"In English, they say 'cat'."

Marinette's expression fell.

"It's funny."

"No, it's not." She put the shirt back and kept looking.

And then there was one that caught her eye that she had to stare at for a _good_ while.

"Are. You. Serious?"

Adrien looked at the shirt and immediately broke out into a wild grin. "Oh yeah! This one's new. I haven't had a chance to wear it yet. What do you think?!"

Marinette stared at the shirt, one that had nine cats, each dressed up as characters Marinette didn't recognize, but she recognized some of the labels. 'Dragonpaw Z' and 'Sailor Mewn' and 'Mewrito' and 'Fur Mewtal Alcatmist'. "You got a shirt. With cat renditions. Of your favorite animes?"

"_Yes!_" Adrien practically squealed. "Isn't it fantastic?"

Marinette stared at the shirt, then back up at him. His glasses were slightly crooked, his cheeks were pink with excitement, and his smile was completely and one hundred percent giddy. He looked like a five-year-old boy instead of a young man of sixteen.

And she was in love with him.

Marinette sighed, a smile breaking across her face. "It's very you," she admitted.

"I know! It might just become my favorite shirt _ever._"

As he babbled on, Marinette couldn't help but watch his excited expressions. Her mind tried to capture his joy and tuck it into her memories under 'things that warm her heart'. Yes, he was such a dork, but honestly, she wouldn't have him any other way.


	4. Chapter 4

**_11._****_Facetime_**

When Alya went on a trip, she and Marinette would text back and forth and then maybe call once. Marinette did not desperately miss her best friend and feel lonely.

Apparently, Adrien was different.

It was because she had a crush on him. It had to be. There was no other reason for it. She was just one of those overly clingy girls that needed to learn what personal space was.

Adrien was on a two-week long trip, and he was four days into it. She could buck up for ten more days. She could get a grip.

It wasn't… _that_ long… of a time…

She reached for her phone.

_Hey,_ she texted. _Just thinking of you and hoping your having a good time._

There. A text. They could text about the day. That was okay. Not her clingy need to see him.

Too bad that her heart rebelled, racing when she saw those three bubbles meaning he was responding.

_I'm hopeless_, she thought. But when she saw his next text, she realized she was plenty okay with that.

* * *

Adrien was being ridiculous. He knew it. Friends were able to stay apart for days on end and not have the desperate need to see each other. He would see Marinette when he got back. No big deal.

So why was he reaching for his phone?

Before he could type anything out, he saw that there were bubbles on her end of the text thread. His heart fluttered in his chest, excitement suddenly racing through him.

And when he finally saw the text, he beamed. _What a coincidence! _He texted back. _I was just thinking of you too :D_

The little dots appeared on his screen, and he waited eagerly for her response.

_Miss beating you in UMS_

Adrien laughed. _I don't miss that XP_

He was a liar. She always did this little victory dance when she won, and it was one of his favorite things in the world to watch.

_Can I facetime you?_ He texted on a whim.

There was silence for a while, and Adrien thought he royally screwed up. But then, his phone rang with a facetime request. From Marinette.

He instantly answered. "Hey!"

"Hey," she said with a grin. Her chin was propped up on her forearms and it looked like she was already in bed. "How's the trip?"

Adrien rolled over, laying down on his pillow and holding the phone above his face. "Fine," he said. "There are good moments and a lot of boring ones."

"Bummer."

"It's what happens when dad has a business trip. I'm used to it."

"Still sucks."

Adrien couldn't disagree with that. "Yeah. Oh well."

Marinette asked about all the good details of his trip, which Adrien was happy to recount. And in the end, they ended up chatting for two hours.

"It's late," Adrien commented. "As much as I want to stay up talking with you, I should go to bed. Early morning."

Marinette hummed, but it was clear she was disappointed. "I understand. Can… can we do this again soon?"

"I'd hope so," Adrien answered maybe a bit too quickly. "I'll text you?"

"Yeah, sounds good."

"Good night, Marinette."

Marinette smiled, waving at him through the phone in an almost shy way that somehow tugged at his heart. He wanted a screenshot.

He almost caught one.

"Sleep well, Adrien. I'll talk to you soon."

And with that, she was gone.

Leaving Adrien to stare at the ceiling in disappointment for a good while before finally drifting off to sleep.

* * *

**_12._****_ "Adrien's Girlfriend"_**

IF the sake of her heart, it was a really bad idea to agree.

But when had she ever been able to say no to Adrien.

Hence why she was here, in a fancy ballgown dress she'd designed, attending an event hosted by Gabriel Agreste

As Adrien's date for the evening.

The limo stopped in front of Adrien's house, and Marinette got out on her own before the chauffer could open the door for her. She pushed the skirt of her dress —full from many layers of tulle—out the door before stepping out of the car.

The night was warm thanks to the ending of summer, and the light breeze caused her hair to flutter on her bare shoulders. It had been daring to go strapless, but in the end, it made Marinette feel much older than she was. Like she was a beautiful, capable young woman who was worthy to stand beside Adrien.

Halfway to her walk toward the front door, Adrien appeared in the doorway.

Her breath hitched, and she froze. He cleaned up so nicely in that perfectly tailored black suit. His hair was tamed and brushed to the side in a stylish fashion, and he was missing his glasses meaning he must be wearing contact lenses.

And he was the most handsome man she'd ever seen.

"Wow," were the first words out of his mouth as he slowly approached her. "You… you look… wow."

Her face was warm, and she doubted it was from the heat of the night. "You look handsome yourself."

"I'm nothing compared to you."

The words slipped smoothly out of his mouth and caused her heart to ramp up its pace yet again. Only then did she realize the problem with wearing a strapless dress: if she were to blush deeply, the top of her chest was on display, meaning everyone would know just how flustered a certain young man caused her to be.

She regretted the strapless decision.

"Well," Adrien said, regaining his composure. He extended an elbow towards her. "Shall we go?"

With a small, embarrassed smile, she wrapped her arm over his elbow. "We shall."

"Before we go in," Adrien said, a blush spreading on his own cheeks. "I… should probably warn you that there was a little misunderstanding, and before I could correct it, half the people there believed that my…" he cleared his throat. "My girlfriend would be my date for the evening."

Marinette felt her blush deepen. "O-oh?"

Adrien gave her a sheepish smile. "Are you okay with that? Or should I tell everyone you suddenly were ill upon arrival."

She was fine with that because she wanted to _be_ that. Not that she could say that to Adrien. "That's fine. It will keep the women off your back, right? Which is why you wanted me to attend in the first place."

Adrien's smile softened as he looked down at her, and Marinette wanted nothing more than for him to look at her with that smile much more often. "Then let's go, milady."

It wouldn't be until much later that Marinette realized that the only reason everyone thought she was Adrien's girlfriend was because Adrien had never bothered to correct anyone for the mistake in the first place.

Her heart wasn't quite sure how to take that.

* * *

**_13._****_Good Luck_**

He was on a roll with the cat puns. He was feeling kinda punchy this morning, but then again, that might be the coffee talking. He and Marinette had stayed up until the wee hours of the morning to finish a project that took a little longer than it should have. Now, Adrien was running on a double shot of espresso and maybe four hours of sleep.

"You know," Marinette began in a tone Adrien couldn't fully distinguish. She was either fed up or teasing him. "This nickname is way overdue, but with the excessive cat puns and cat puns on shirts, I'm going to start calling you 'kitty'."

"Kitty?"

Marinette nodded with just enough sass for Adrien to know she wasn't teasing as much as she was fed up. Or maybe tired. She, too, was running on a mocha with a double shot and four hours of sleep. "Especially when you wear something like that, _nerd._"

He looked down at his t-shirt—his favorite anime kitty one—for a while. "You know," he admitted. "I'm kinda shocked it took you this long, too."

She rolled her eyes. "Come, kitty, kitty. We have class."

Adrien took the new nickname in stride. But one thing bothered him quite a bit. "I don't have one for you."

"Good," Marinette grumbled.

"No," he whined. "_Not_ good. I don't have anything cute to call you."

"My name for you is not _cute_," she said, her voice a little too growly to be teasing.

He ignored it. "Of course, it is. You gave it to me."

In an instant, she turned bright red. "Dork," she mumbled, quickly turning away.

"You know what this means, right?" Adrien pressed as though he didn't just cause her to go beet red for who knows what reason.

"What?"

"It means I get to think up one for you."

"Why?" she whined.

"Because you're my little good luck charm and you deserve it."

Again, she spun away. Okay, _that_ time, he knew why she blushed.

"Aww. Is my little _good luck charm_ embarrassed?"

"Back off, dork."

"No way. Not when I have to give a cute name to my _little lucky charm_."

"_Adrien,_" she whined.

"Oh, I'm sorry," he said with a smirk. "Am I _embarrassing _you?"

She hid her face in her hands and groaned.

Adrien felt rather proud of himself. "Come on _lucky_, let's go."

"_Noooooo,_" she whined.

"Don't like that? What about '_little ladybug_'?"

"Why are you doing this to me?"

"You're as red as one. Oh! What about bugaboo? No, you're classier than that. Milady? No, too formal. What about—"

_"Adrien!_"

He stopped. Her face was red, but it was more than that. Her eyes almost looked glassy.

He took it too far.

"Sorry," he said. "I… I'm sorry."

She bowed her head, arms crossed over her chest and making her look small.

He sighed. Draping his arm over her shoulders and pulling her close, he led her over to a more secluded spot of the school. "Lack of sleep and caffeine catching up to you?" he asked in a low tone.

She nodded.

"This isn't the first night you've pulled that, huh?"

She shook her head.

"That's what I suspected," he said, pulling her close for a brief hug. "How many nights?"

"All week."

"Sewing project?"

"No. This one."

Adrien stopped dead in his tracks. "What do you mean?"

She sighed. "I mean I've been working really hard to get this done."

Adrien's brow furrowed. "Was it too much?"

"No!" she snipped, stomping her foot in a childish gesture. "It was just… I couldn't _get_ it."

"Mari," he whined. "Then why didn't you ask me for help?"

"Because! You were always busy with your stuff or working on your half of the project and doing other things and…" She trailed off, her lip quivering.

He curled her close to his chest, rubbing her back in soothing motions. "You should have asked. And next time, please do, okay? This isn't healthy for you to run like this and I'd rather stay up a little later to help you than have you stay up way too late too many nights in a row and have you crash like this. Understand?"

He felt her nod against his chest.

"Okay," he said. "Come on, princess. Let's get to class."

There was no teasing in that comment as he curled an arm around her waist to tuck her to his side and guided her through the hallways.

They walked in silence on their way to class, but Adrien stopped outside the classroom before they entered. "You okay now?" he asked out of concern.

She didn't look up at him. "I like that name."

It was a whisper. One Adrien barely caught. "What name?"

"Princess," she answered, sliding out of his hold. "It almost sounded like you meant that one."

And with that, she scurried into the classroom.

Leaving Adrien with a blush on his own cheeks. "Princess, huh?" he murmured to himself. "I like that one, too."


	5. Chapter 5

**_14._****_The Valentine_**

They'd been friends for a year and a half now. And Marinette had had a crush on him about a month less than that. Meaning Marinette had been sitting on her hands for about seventeen months now.

It was time for her to do something about that.

She had spent the first thirteen days of February writing and rewriting a love confession to Adrien. Thirteen days making a pretty, decorated, heart-shaped card to put said love confession on.

Then Valentine's day rolled around.

And she _completely_ chickened out.

Instead of giving it to Adrien directly, she shoved it in his locker.

Coward.

All throughout the school day, she was just waiting for Adrien to bring up the card. But he never did. And honestly, her heart continued sinking throughout the day.

"Do you want to do something for Valentine's day?" Adrien asked after school had ended.

Marinette blushed bright red. "Wh-what?"

"I don't have anything better to do, and I haven't been able to hang out with you for a few days."

"O-oh," Marinette said, heart deflating. "I thought you were talking, like, _for Valentine's_."

"No," Adrien dismissed with an easy grin. "Just hang out together. You know I don't have anyone."

Her heart was cracking. "What? No one came up and confessed their undying love to you?" She said it as a joke, and she hoped beyond hope he didn't realize she was fishing for anything.

"Actually," he said, his smile fading a bit. "I did get a love confession."

"Oh yeah?" Marinette asked, her heart fluttering nervously.

"Yeah, but it wasn't signed."

And her heart flat out _stopped_.

"I feel bad about throwing it away or anything," he said. "Because they obviously out a lot of thought and effort in it, but at the same point, I don't know who it is."

_Say it!_ Marinette's mind screamed. _Tell him, idiot!_

"And it's kind of a shame," Adrien continued. "Because statistically speaking, high school relationships don't last, you know? Why get in one only for it to last a year/year and a half and then break up when school ends because you split to different colleges and all that? So, I feel bad about it, but I want to wait and give my whole heart to the girl I see myself spending my life with, you know? Why casually date during high school?"

Marinette's mouth snapped shut, unable to respond to that. Her heart hurt, a lot. But at the same point… she could see where Adrien was coming from. She found it good advice, to be honest. And that he thought that way because he wanted to give his all to the girl he would end up marrying…

"That's super romantic," she managed to say. Because that was the truth.

Adrien's smile was gentle and sweet. "My mom told me that," he said. "My dad was the first person my mom ever dated because she said that there are a lot of people out there in the world and it's easy to give your heart to anyone you feel anything for. But if you give your heart out too much, how much will you have left for your one true love?"

"Your mom was really wise."

"Yeah," Adrien said. "That little piece of advice stuck with me. She was a model but she was also really smart. She learned early on that there are a lot of people willing to fawn over her, but she learned to distinguish what was love and what wasn't. That's how she knew my dad was the one. Because there was more between them than attraction and she was willing to take the risk on him."

"That's really beautiful," Marinette said. Because it was. That was fully the truth.

"I always thought so," Adrien said, his voice soft with remembrance.

Marinette sighed. Her heart wasn't broken per se, but battered and bruised it was. "Do you want to come over for chocolate cupcakes and Ultimate Mecha Strike three?" Her heart was going to need a little more than that, but she would temper her sweet tooth around Adrien today. She'd nurse her battered heart with ice cream later.

Adrien grinned. "Yeah. I'd like that."

* * *

**_15._****_Love Rivals_**

Adrien did not like this feeling. It was a very bad feeling. An ugly feeling. Another guy could flirt with Marinette, and Marinette could flirt back.

So what was this awful tightness in his chest?

"Dude, green-eyed monster much?"

Adrien glared at Nino. "What are you even talking about?"

Nino gave him a flat look. Not surprising. Adrien knew his voice was too aggressive for that question to be serious.

"She's just a friend," Adrien said. "She can flirt with some slick rock star if she wants to."

"You don't want her to," Nino said.

"Not the point," Adrien growled.

"Totally the point."

Adrien glared at Nino once more before turning back to glare at the guy flirting up a storm. And Marinette seemed to be eating up his flattery.

Adrien squashed a growl in his throat.

"Just don't kill Luka with that death glare, 'k bro?"

Adrien should just deny it. He wasn't jealous. _He. Wasn't. Jealous._

"No promises, Nino."

He was jealous.

* * *

**_16._****_Beach_**

They weren't seniors. And they weren't American. But when Kim found out about the traditional "senior ditch day" the Americans held as tradition, he and Alix decided to pull the class on board. Besides, it was going to be a _very_ hot day and the school's A/C system was broken thanks to a dare between Kim and Alix.

Marinette didn't want to know how that happened, and Kim and Alix weren't telling.

So, after convincing the class that it was only one day, they threw caution to the wind and organized to meet up at the train station and commute together to the beach.

It was a two-hour trip, but they entertained themselves well enough. And when they got to the beach, the last dredges of regret faded away. It wasn't too full, which was understandable for a Wednesday when school was still in session. It also meant they had quite a bit of room to romp and play.

"You know," Alya began, laying out on her beach towel as she watched the guys strip out of their shirts and race to the water. "Today was a _great_ idea."

"You just want to see Nino shirtless," Alix quickly interjected. "Just like Marinette wants to see Adrien shirtless."

Marinette sputtered. "I do not!"

"Yeah, you do," came the chorus from the girls.

Marinette didn't argue. Because… she kinda did.

"Let's be fair," Alya said, her voice full of teasing. "I want to see just how cute nerd boy is. Marinette can't have anything other than the best."

"Hey, Marinette."

The girls all turned to the voice, only to see Adrien approaching. Shirtless, wet, hair slicked back, and a crooked smile on his face. "You coming or not! Water's great."

"Yeah," Marinette said, trying not to look him over even though she _very much wanted to._ "Give me a minute."

Grinning, he nodded and turned around to head back toward the water.

"Wow," Alya whispered.

Mylene hummed her agreement.

"So handsome!" Rose quietly squealed

"Not bad," Alix said with a smirk.

"You guys," Marinette hissed, stripping out of her tee-shirt dress cover-up to reveal her ladybug swimsuit.

"Girl," Alya said, "You _scored._ He's like… a ten!"

Marinette knew that. She's known that for ages. And he only keeps getting better. "Hotness doesn't have a thing to do with it."

"It's just a bonus, right?"

"Exact—wait."

Alya smirked. "Don't deny it. You like him. He's hot. Just wish he was a little less nerdy."

"He's perfect," Marinette snipped. "Besides, what does it matter? He doesn't like me in that way."

"That's not what his face said when you were stripping out of your dress."

Marinette froze, her blood running cold as her face heated up.

"Omg!" Alya said, spinning to see Juleka. "You mean I missed him checking her out?"

Juleka smirked. "And he liked what he saw."

Scratch that, Marinette's cheeks were on _fire._

It took a moment for her to gather her wits, especially when her friends were totally freaking out on her. Only then did Marinette finally make it to the water.

Throughout the day, Marinette couldn't help but sneak glances at Adrien, wondering if he really could have been checking her out—and maybe checking him out in the process.

* * *

**_17._****_Confession_**

It was after the beach trip he really couldn't hide it any more. He really liked Marinette. Seeing her in a ladybug swimsuit was his undoing. Never mind the swimsuit was one piece, it still showed off plenty of skin and her trim little figure and he was just…

He was a goner.

It was the first day of summer vacation, and Marinette was more than happy to invite him over even though she was exhausted from studying.

"Princess," he purred. "Were you staying up too late again?"

She nodded. "How do you always notice?"

"Because I just beat you at UMS three. Twice in a row."

Marinette sighed, letting the controller fall into her lap. "I'm sorry. I guess I'm not really up for competition today."

"I can tell."

She leaned over, collapsing against his side and settling her head on his shoulder.

Adrien grinned, his heart racing at the contact. "Take a nap."

"But you're here," she bemoaned. "I don't want you to go."

He didn't really want to go either. "Tell you what, Princess," he said. "Why don't we watch a movie instead. And you can nap through it if you want. I'll still be here when you wake up."

She blinked a couple times at him before a small smile crossed her face. "I like that idea."

Marinette grabbed her laptop, then the duo climbed up to Marinette's bed. Adrien propped himself up against the pile of pillows and plushies before pulling Marinette close to his side.

She tensed for a moment, and Adrien briefly wondered if it was too much, but then she relaxed, making herself at home against him. Adrien quite liked the feeling.

The computer was placed on Adrien's lap, and Marinette booted up a movie they both enjoyed, only to crash out fifteen minutes into the film.

Forgetting the movie, Adrien looked down at the sleeping beauty against his chest. He couldn't help but smile and took a long moment to relish this feeling; the warmth that bloomed in his chest, spreading out to every inch of his body.

Eventually, the urge became too strong and he pressed a light kiss into her hair. "I care for you so much, my princess," he whispered.

If he didn't know any better, he could have sworn she smiled in her sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

**_18._****_In the Rain_**

The rainy season had begun once again, meaning that Marinette was unprepared for the first big downpour of the season. And this time, so was Adrien.

"Okay," he said, looking at the downpour. "I have an extra hoodie in my locker. I'll grab that for you, and then we make a mad dash to your house."

"There's no better option, is there?"

"Not really."

"Okay."

Together, they walked to Adrien's locker, where he pulled out a black hoodie with a bright, neon green paw on it. He scrunched the fabric up in his hands so he could easily pull it over her head. She slid her arms in the overlong sleeves, and Adrien flipped the hood up over her head before giving the pigtails that stuck out of it an affectionate tug.

She blushed bright red.

They then made their way to the front of the school again, only to pause as they stared out at the rain.

"You ready?"

"As I'll ever be."

"One, two, _three!_"

They took off like a shot, running as fast as they could and, _blessedly_, not getting stopped at the crosswalk.

By the time they made to the safety of Marinette's house, the hoodies were drenched and their pants were soaked as well. But they were laughing as they stepped into the entryway of Marinette's house.

They took off their soggy sneakers, then got out of the hoodies that were almost wet enough to be wrung out. Their shirts were mostly fine, but their pants were another story.

"I think I still have those pants I designed for you," Marinette said. "I'll grab those for you, and we can toss our clothes in the dryer."

"Sounds good to me."

They trekked up the stairs to Marinette's room, where she did find the pants from a previous design competition that would fit Adrien. She sent him into the bathroom to change while she quickly changed in her room, putting on a pair of fuzzy pajama bottoms and a fully dry shirt.

Adrien knocked on the door. "You changed?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said, opening the door

To reveal a shirtless Adrien.

"Seems like my shirt got wet, too," he said with a shy grin. "Could you throw it in the dryer, too?"

Marinette was trying not to stare at his bare chest. "Um, yeah, totally."

She quickly took his clothes, then made her escape from the stupidly handsome shirtless boy she had a crush on.

Though she wasn't a fan of drying everything together, the clothes could stand it this once. After taking a breath to steady herself, she marched back up the stairs. _It's okay. There's nothing special about seeing Adrien shirtless. It's all fine._

Except it wasn't because all the lies she told herself went straight out the window at the sight of shirtless Adrien in her room.

She dug through her clothes, tossing an oversized shirt at him. "Put this on, dork," she said.

"What? You don't like all this?" he teased, shooting her an exaggerated flirty smile while he flexed his arms.

Marinette had to swallow as she watched the muscles in his back and arms tighten.

Slowly, Adrien's expression faded as he turned towards her, his brows knit together in confusion.

"You look good." The words came tumbling out of Marinette's mouth before she could even think to stop them.

Outside, lightning flashed, and thunder rolled shortly after. Marinette felt herself blush bright red as Adrien looked away, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I'm gonna go get snacks," she said. "And then some Ultimate Mecha Strike three?"

He nodded, but still didn't look at her. "That sounds good."

"Okay." It took everything Marinette had to not run from the room. And then once she was out of the room, not to scream.

* * *

**_19._****_Akumatized_**

They were in their last year of schooling, meaning that it was time to start applying to universities. Adrien had a handful he applied to and would be happy with any of them. But for Marinette, with her love of fashion, wanted a spot in the top fashion school of Paris. And considering she wanted to go to the best fashion school in Paris, there would be a lot of competition.

"And what if I don't make the cut and then I'll never be able to live out my dreams as a fashion designer."

Which meant Marinette was beside herself with nerves and making up ridiculously dismal conclusions.

"You won't have to worry about that," Adrien said, a plan hatching in his mind, "because you see, I'll be your secret weapon."

Marinette took that the complete wrong way and looked horrified. "No! I do _not_ want to use your connections—"

"No no no," he dismissed. "Not in that way. You see, I myself have a foolproof plan for getting you in."

She paused, looking a little lost. "And just what would that be?"

"You see, Marinette. I don't know how to tell you this, but I'm actually have secret superpowers."

The very corner of Marinette's mouth twitched upwards. "Superpowers?"

He nodded, trying and failing to keep the smile off his face. "I have an army of butterflies that I can use to transform people into my personal minons."

Her smile was growing. "Oh really?"

"Yes," he said. "I send them out into the world and when they land on people's shoulders, they become my minions. If you don't get in, I'll be angry for you, meaning all the minions I create will be _evil_ minions."

Marinette was biting her lip at this point, desperately trying not to laugh.

"With my army of minions, I will march down to the admissions office and tell them they better accept you or I will use my evil army to destroy the entire school meaning that—guess what?—it won't be the most prestigious fashion university in Paris anymore."

Now, her face was in her hands, her shoulders shaking. He could hear her quiet giggles, and he felt like a winner.

"Then, I will go to the _new _most prestigious fashion university in Paris and I will march my army to _their_ admission office and say they better accept you and by _that_ point, they will, because my evil powers will have been exposed for the world to see and no one will turn me down. That will be my evil plan to get you into that university."

Gradually, Marinette's laughter subsided to the point she dropped her hands from her face and looked at him with a beaming smile and cheeks pink from laughter. "You. Are such a dork."

He grinned. "Feel better?"

"Much," she said, stepping close to wrap his arms around his torso in a hug. "Thank you, Adrien."

He couldn't resist cocooning her in his arms. "You're welcome."

* * *

**_20._****_Hamster_**

There was a carnival in town, meaning rides and games and such. Marinette and Adrien couldn't help but want to check it out. Originally, they were a group of four, but Nino and Alya split soon after their arrival, leaving Marinette and Adrien to their own devices.

Which they really didn't mind.

After going on a few rides and getting some snacks, they found themselves wandering around the games. Adrien couldn't help but notice how her eye caught on a jumbo plush hamster. He knew she wanted a live one. Frankly, he did, too. Preferably with her.

"Come on," he said, leading her over to the game. "Let's try for it."

It was a game of "knockout." They each got 5 balls and had to knockout as many clowns as they could. Marinette managed three. Adrien got all five.

"See? You're my lucky charm," Adrien said with a grin.

She giggled. "You're such a dork."

They each got to pick out a prize. Marinette pointed to the black cat while Adrien grabbed the jumbo stuffed hamster. "For you, my lady," he said, presenting it to her with a smile.

She beamed, her cheeks coloring red. "And for you," she said, handing over the cat.

"You should keep it," he said, "and think of this kitty cat every time you see it."

"That's what the hamster is for," she said, squeezing it tight. "Take this one, because I want _you_ to remember _me_ every time you see it."

How could he resist that?

He named it Plagg, and it took up a permanent residence on his bed because, true to her intentions, it did remind him of her every time he saw it.

* * *

**_21._****_Nightmare_**

School was over. They had graduated, and university was right around the corner. Meaning that they were all going off to different universities and starting the beginning of their adult lives.

Even though he'd known it for months, the realization slammed full force into Adrien right after graduation as he was saying good-bye to all his school friends. But it wasn't until midnight that night that he realized that 'friends' meant Marinette, too.

And in his panic in the night, his heart racing and mind whirring, he thought that it was nothing short of a living nightmare.

First thing in the morning, Adrien headed over to Marinette's house. It was early, and he knew Marinette wasn't exactly a morning person, bus to his surprised, she answered, immediately turning excited at the sight of him. "Adrien! What are you doing here? I thought you were busy today."

"I was," he said. "But I'm kinda ditching my fencing class today because I really want to talk to you."

Her expression fell, turning serious. She let him inside, and they quickly headed up the stairs to her room.

"Yeah, what's going on?" she asked, sitting down on her chair.

Adrien collapsed on her chaise. "Remember how… yesterday, we were saying good-bye to everyone? Realizing we were all going our own ways?"

She nodded.

"I just…" He sighed, leaning his elbows on his knees. "Out of all our classmates, I'm most terrified saying good-bye to you."

She frowned, her brow knitting together in confusion. "Adrien, you don't have to say good-bye to me. We're staying close, remember? I'll always be around."

"But what if you _aren't_?" he challenged. "What if we drift apart? What if you're busy with your school and I'm busy with mine and we don't stay in contact and—"

"Hey, hey." Marinette had stood from his seat to grab hold of his cheeks. She gave him a soft smile that calmed his racing heart. "That's not gonna happen. Even if we have to put each other specifically into our schedules, we'll find time to stay together."

He sighed. "I don't think… you fully understand, Marinette." He reached up to grab her wrists. "That… That I'm worried I'll lose you."

"You won't lose me," she quietly replied, her head slowly getting closer to his.

"No," he said. "Not that kind of lose."

"Then what kind of lose are you talking about."

"The kind where you live your life and I'm not there every step of the way."

A long silence slipped between them.

"Marinette," he said, moving his hands from her wrists to cradle her cheeks. "I'm sorry I never told you this sooner, but… it took me a while to realize that losing you in that way really isn't okay with me. I really, really like you. And… I want nothing more than for you to be mine."

Her breathing was coming in short, shallow bursts, and her cheeks were bright pink. Just as Adrien grew worried he'd overstepped his bounds, her eyes grew glassy and a smile stretched across her cheeks. "You have feelings for me?" she whispered as if not believing it.

He nodded. "For a while now," he admitted.

If it was possible, her smile grew larger. "You have feelings for me."

"Yeah," he said, his own smile growing. "I do. And… And I can only hope that you have feelings for me."

She sniffed. "You're such an idiot."

The words caught him off guard.

"Yeah," she said. "Because… I've been in love with you for years."

Those words hit him like a bat to the chest, knocking the air out of him and leaving him stunned. "Wh… really?"

Her smile widened, and with it came a tear.

He was quick to wipe it away with his thumb. "Really?" he asked, not sure he believed it. "You like me?"

Marinette nodded.

And that was all the confirmation he needed to yank her down against him, cocooning her up into his arms and pressing his face into her hair. "You like me."

"I do," she said shifting in his lap. "Since when did you like me?"

"I'd say it probably started when Juleka's older brother came to town."

"Luka?"

"And I hated how you were spending time with him."

Slowly, Marinette pushed away from him so she could look him in the eyes. "Kitty?" she said, smile on her face. "Were you jealous?"

He growled, glancing away from her.

She giggled, her hands finding his cheeks again to pull his attention back to her. "You liked me since then?"

"That was the beginning of it, yeah," he confessed. "Ever since then, seeing you with other guys… I just… and the thought of _losing_ you…"

She settled back against his chest, her arms looping around his torso and holding him tight. "I don't want to lose you, either."

He clung to her like a lifeline. "Marinette," he began. "I really… I love you, and I don't want to let you go. I don't want to lose you. I want to pursue more with you. Will… will you be my girlfriend?"

Her arms tightened. "Adrien," she said. "Nothing in the world would make me happier."

"And we can't let college pull us apart," he insisted, heart fluttering nervously at the thought.

She hummed. "The love of my life just confessed his love for me. If you think I'm not going to fight tooth-and-nail for you, then you don't know me very well."


	7. Chapter 7

**_A/N: Slight rating bump ;) Nothing too bad._**

* * *

**_22._****_Aged-up_**

Marinette was the happiest woman in the world. Attending her dream college on a partial scholarship was amazing. She was loved by her teachers for her dedication to learn and grow. She had a top fashion designer telling her which elective classes she should take to give herself the best chance once she graduated.

And she had the best boyfriend in the history of ever.

She got out of class only to see him waiting around for her, and she couldn't help but squeal in excitement.

The moment she ran into his arms, he picked her up and swung her around once before… not putting her back on the ground.

"Hey," she said, rubbing her nose against his. "What are you doing here?"

"The professor let everyone out early today so I ran over here as quickly as I could to pick you up."

She giggled as he slowly lowered her to the ground. "I know the perfect café we could grab some lunch at."

"Wherever you want to go," he said.

With her hand in his, they walked to Adrien's car, then drove over to the café.

"I like how you've been wearing your hair, recently," Marinette commented.

"Yeah?" Adrien asked, running a hand through it.

"Yeah," Marinette said. "Not that I don't like the bedhead, but the side-swept look has a little more class to it. Now, to get rid of the cat pun tees."

Adrien gasped in mock offence. "How dare you say such a thing!"

Marinette giggled. "You know I'm teasing. Though, I _do_ appreciate that you're starting to wear some other clothes, too."

"My girlfriend is a fashion designer," he said. "I had to clean up my act a little."

"Your father is a fashion designer, and you didn't clean up for him."

"You're different," Adrien said, squeezing her hand and bringing it up to his lips to kiss. "I actually want to look like I'm worthy to stand next to you."

Marinette scoffed. "Please. _I'm _the one that needs to stand up to _you._"

"Yeah, right," Adrien huffed. "As if."

They made it to the shop, and ever the gentleman, Adrien opened the door for her.

"After you, my princess."

She shook her head, cheeks warm. Just shy of two years of dating and he still got her flustered.

Not that she didn't love it.

Marinette ordered for the both of them with a "trust me, you'll love it." And then pouted when Adrien got his card out before her.

His grin was too smug, gosh darn it.

After eating and causing a minor scene with her shoving food in Adrien's smug mouth, the two debated if they were going to go to her house or his. Adrien said that he forgot something at his house, henceforth, to the Agreste Mansion it was.

Besides, playing UMS IV on his high definition big screen was always fun.

"Do you want to set up the game while I grab what I need?" Adrien asked

"Sure." She knew by heart where he kept the game, so setting it up was a cinch. She then pulled both controllers over to the couch just as Adrien was approaching. "Ready to get your butt handed to—"

She froze, completely unable to finish her sentence. Because Adrien had knelt down beside her with a ring in his hand.

"I remember when we started dating that you said you didn't want to rush into a marriage with university and all that," he began. "But I have just been so, _so_ happy that the thought of not marrying you isn't even comprehendible. And we basically see each other every day even if we just sit in silence and do homework together, and… I just have to take the risk and ask you, because you're worth it and you'll always be worth it. Marinette Dupain-Cheng, will you marry me?"

Her eyes bounced between him and the ring, her poor, fried mind slowly catching up to her. Eventually, her hand found its way over her gaping mouth. "Yes," she said, mind finally working again. "Yes. Of course, yes!"

With a grin, Adrien reached out for her hand which she quickly threw in front of him. He chuckled, grabbing hold of her hand and sliding the ruby ring on her finger.

He didn't let go, instead using it to pull her closer to him.

She didn't resist, leaning closer and closer until he was able to wrap his hand around the back of her head and pull her in for a long kiss.

* * *

**_23._****_Fashion Show_**

Adrien knew it had to be done, so he enlisted his fiancée—_his fiancée!_ Even after four months, he still couldn't quite get over that—to assist him.

"I managed to pair everything else down so that we could fit it in the apartment," Adrien began. "I went through everything and took only what I wanted. However, the closet is another monster entirely."

Marinette stared at the closet. "Yeah," she said. "Because you saw the apartment we want to rent: the closet is…"

"Too small," Adrien said.

Marinette nodded. "For a fashion designer and her cat-pun-shirt-loving soon-to-be husband, yes."

Adrien couldn't resist wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her against his side. "I have no clue where to start."

Marinette paused in thought. "Okay. So, rule: if I haven't seen you in it in the past, like, two months, you don't get to keep it. Even if I don't _remember_ seeing you in it, you don't get to keep it. You get to keep half the cat pun shirts—"

"What?" Adrien cried.

Marinette gave him a sympathetic smile. "Adrien, honey, I love you. I love you a lot. But if I remember correctly, you have sixty-seven cat pun shirts. You don't get to keep all them."

Adrien pouted, but he supposed she was right. "Seventy-two."

"Case and point," she said. "So how about we start there. Rules: if it has holes, it's gone. If it's overly faded and worn, it's gone. If I rarely see you in it, it's gone. And then we'll see how many are left."

Adrien pouted. "There's a ripped seam in my anime kitty shirt."

Marinette sighed. "I'm not gonna fight you on that one. I'll fix it. Everything else, though!"

"Understood."

One by one, Marinette pulled out each shirt and examined it. If it fit the 'dump' criteria, then she automatically tossed it before Adrien could say a word. In the end, there was a pile of thirty-one shirts he got to keep.

"I am _immensely_ proud of you," Marinette said.

With a pout, Adrien dropped his forehead onto her shoulder. "My heart."

She patted his back. "You'll live. Now, pull out any other clothes that you wear on a regular basis."

A couple rounds later, Adrien had pulled out all the clothes that Marinette had told him to.

"And the rest can go," Adrien commented, looking at the still surprisingly full closet.

"Yup," Marinette agreed. "There are more clothes in here than there are at a fashion show."

"To be fair," Adrien said. "I really don't remember the last time I cleaned out my closet."

Marinette hummed. "That's actually not surprising. And as much as I'd love to stay and help you clean out the rest—"

"You have to go," Adrien finished. He grabbed her cheeks, pulling her in to press a kiss to her forehead. "Thank you so much for coming to help."

"My pleasure," she said, grabbing his own cheeks and getting a good angle to kiss him. "I'll see you later."

"I've got to help you take all the clothes you stole down to the car," Adrien countered. "I am not completely saying good-bye yet. And that was not a proper good-bye kiss."

She smirked. "Fair enough."

* * *

For Christmas, Marinette's gift to Adrien consisted of a rather large gift box. "For you, my love."

Adrien eagerly opened it, only to nearly scream in excitement at the quilt Marinette made with all his old cat-pun tee shirts.

"Did I mention you are the most wonderful woman in the whole world and that I am the absolute luckiest man alive to be marrying you?"

"Hmm… once or twice. Now put me down; you're squishing me."

* * *

**_24._****_Bridal Style_**

Marinette had never planned on having a winter wedding—she was _not_ a cold weather person—but having her wedding after the holidays allowed nearly all her and Adrien's old classmates to come since they were already back in Paris for winter break. Everyone was overjoyed for them, of course because, in the words of Alya, "you're the best ship _ever._"

When the reception came to a close, Marinette and Adrien bolted for the limo, with people throwing rice and sending wolf whistles their way.

The night was young, but Marinette and Adrien had spent the day busy freaking out in the morning, then standing at the alter and crying as they exchanged vows, then throwing a wildly fun reception. They were ready to retreat to their new apartment that they had slowly moved into yet hadn't lived in a day yet. They decided that they would christen it tonight as a very special occasion.

After all, it was their wedding night.

"I swear, I am the luckiest man in the world," Adrien said, cupping the back of her neck so he could pull her head close and lean their foreheads together.

"And I'm the luckiest woman in the world," Marinette countered, placing her free hand over his heart. "I still can't believe… wow, we just got married."

Adrien nodded.

"We're husband and wife."

"Yeah."

"I'm _Mrs. Agreste._"

Smirking, Adrien growled. "Yes, you are."

Marinette giggled, her brain barely functioning.

The limo stopped in front of their apartment building, meaning the two thanked the driver and Adrien assisted Marinette, in her full-skirted wedding dress, out of the limo.

Together, they scurried to their apartment, hand in hand, grinning like giddy school kids. They slid to a stop in front of their apartment door, Adrien pulling out the key. He stuck it into the lock, and Marinette put her hand over his. Together, they turned the key to their home. _Their_ home. The thought warmed Marinette's heart. She was here, baring the love of her life's last name, opening up the door to the home they now shared together.

It was perfect.

Suddenly, Marinette felt herself being lifted into the air. She squealed, reflexively wrapping her arms around Adrien's neck. He chuckled, shifting her closer to press his forehead against hers. "I love you, my bride."

Marinette relaxed in his arms. "I love you, too, my groom."

He turned sideways as he entered the door so as to avoid walking her into the door frame, then kicked the door shut behind him. He turned to lock the door, but Marinette got it before he could.

"Thank you," he said, starting toward the bedroom.

"Well, you kinda have your hands full," Marinette said with a wink.

"Out of all the things to have my hands full with, your certainly my favorite."

Marinette snorted amusedly, but her cheeks felt hot at the insinuation.

They got to their bedroom, and Adrien set her on the ground. They stared at the bed, one they had bought together but never used.

"So," Adrien began, clearing his throat and calling her attention. His cheeks were bright red, probably as red as hers. "So how's this 'night of passion' supposed to work?"

The words held just enough lightness in them to be funny, and Marinette couldn't stop the laughter that bubbled out of her. "Isn't the husband supposed to, like… I don't know, strip is wife out of her dress and make passionate love to her?"

Adrien flashed a new shade of bright red before smirking. "You mean, like get down on his knees and say 'Oh, my darling!'" He was now on his knees, his head tossed back in an exaggerated attempt to be suave. "'How ravishing you look. Let me undress you in some sensual way—'"

By now, Marinette was bent over laughing at his antics.

"'—and sweep you up in my arms, only to dump you on the plushest of beds imaginable and ravish you on the silk sheets."

"They're cotton."

Adrien broke character, toppling over on the floor and holding his gut in laugher

After a while, the duo was able to settle down. "Okay, okay," Marinette began, her voice still high from her laughter. "First, I do need you to unzip my dress. And then we'll figure it out from there."

Smile still on his face, Adrien stood from the ground, walking behind her to unzip the dress. "Now, don't you let it just drop to the floor to reveal some super sexy lingerie or something?"

Marinette snorted a laugh, quickly covering her mouth again. Adrien was laughing, too, clearly teasing yet again. "You are such a dork," Marinette said, still holding her dress up to her chest. "What am I going to do with you?"

"Undress me and use me as you please."

Marinette barked another laugh as Adrien slipped out of his tuxedo jacket. "You're ridiculous."

"Honestly," Adrien said, his tone growing a little more sober. "I'm just nervous."

Marinette's amusement died down, too. "Same," she said. "I mean… we spent so long just taking things slow and not wanting things to get overcomplicated. I didn't mind not, you know, falling into bed with you every other night as some couples seemingly do. I really just… enjoyed being with you."

Adrien's smile was soft and sweet. "I did, too. That is… not to say I didn't think about it, but…" He trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck.

"No, I get it," Marinette said, approaching him and taking his hands in hers. "And now we have tonight."

He nodded. "And now we have tonight."

They stared at each other a while longer before Adrien pulled her in close and kissed her, gently and sweetly.

She responded in kind, enjoying the sweet touches that caused her heart to skip like a schoolgirl.

"We take the night slow," Adrien said between kisses. "And we just… figure everything out as we go."

"I think that sounds like a good idea," she said, leaning in to kiss her husband once again.


	8. Chapter 8

**_25._****_Protect_**

When they had gotten married, Marinette helped out in her parents' bakery for a little cash. And her parents didn't mind being able to see their daughter several days a week, either.

Adrien also took on some responsibilities in his father's company in order to support the two of them. However, when it came to Adrien's job, he and Marinette—or sometimes, just him—had to occasionally make appearances at parties. And Adrien, being the extremely handsome man who also happened to be the son of a very prominent fashion designer, turned more than just a few heads.

Particularly the heads of young females.

But tonight… tonight Marinette had had enough of it.

"For heaven's sake," Adrien snipped, tone more than a little testy. "Will you tell me what's wrong? Because something is or you wouldn't be so pissy."

"You're clueless; that's what."

"We know that. So mind explaining."

Marinette growled. "You, and the women that always throw themselves at you, and you-you-you just stand there like… like you're not _married_ or anything, letting them fawn all over you like your wife isn't across the room _watching the whole thing._"

Adrien froze, and Marinette stormed into the bedroom, slamming the door behind her. Her heart hurt, and with most of the fight drained out of her, she leaned against the door and slid down to the floor. She wouldn't cry, though. Not with Adrien in the next room.

"Marinette," he said, his soft voice coming through the door. "Can we talk?"

She didn't answer.

Adrien sighed. "Will you listen?"

She bit her lip. "What."

"I'm sorry if I've ever made you feel like you're not important to me. Or that you feel like I forget you. Or… I don't know, whatever you feel when you see me talking to other women. But Marinette, I know you know me better than that. I don't care about giving those women any more attention than necessary in terms of being polite at the party. Honestly, I want them off my back, too. I know they see me as attractive, and while they may be pretty or kind or whatever, there is only one woman in the world who holds my heart. And I know you know who that is."

Marinette bit her lip hard, hoping to keep the tears in. They fell silently down her face anyway. She knew his words were true, and in that moment, she felt like an idiot for overreacting.

She slid over to lean against the wall so she could reach up and open the door. She didn't particularly care to get up off the floor. When the door opened, she realized Adrien had been on the floor, too, leaning against the door.

His eyes met hers, and he crawled over to her side. She reached for him, wrapping her arms around him and letting him pull her into his lap.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "For overreacting."

"I'm sorry that you felt like you had to," Adrien said, stroking her hair.

"I do know better," she responded. "And I trust you. I just… I don't like it."

Adrien hummed, pressing a kiss to her head. "You have to know that I only have eyes for you. And I know that a lot of those ladies are just trying to get to me because of what I am. But I can't just start off every conversation with 'hey, you need to know I'm married so go away if you're just going to hit on me.'"

Marinette couldn't help but huff a laugh.

"There's my princess," Adrien said, giving her a squeeze and keeping the smile on her face in the process.

"I'm sorry."

"No, don't be sorry," Adrien said. "If you're ever feeling jealous, tell me, and I'll show you my ring and ask you to tell me just who put that ring that represents a lifetime of commitment on my finger."

Marinette grinned. "That'd be me."

"That's right," Adrien said, pressing another kiss in her hair. "And therefore, I have a duty to protect your heart and this marriage against anyone who thinks they can take a piece of it."

"I love you," she said, pressing her face into his neck. "I love you so much."

"I love you, too, Marinette. And _only_ you. I will spend the rest of my life proving that to you."

* * *

**_26._****_Civilian Heroes_**

"I cannot believe you talked me into this," Marinette grumbled

"Come on," Adrien said, nudging her with his shoulder. "It's amazing."

"I mean, all the fanart is cool but… did we _have_ to cosplay?"

Adrien looked down at the black spandex suit he wore, one he had _begged_ Marinette to make for him. After all, the smash hit "Ladybug and Chat Noir" was one of his favorite movies of all time. So, he really didn't see any better way to spend quality time with his wife—who was a dead ringer for the superheroine—than go to a really cool movie convention dressed up as the spectacular duo. "Yes."

Grin on her face, she rolled her eyes but didn't say anything.

"Ladybug and Chat Noir."

Adrien tore his eyes away from his wife at the sound of a small voice. He looked down to see a young boy, probably no older than six, scampering over to them. "I know you can help me. I lost my mommy and daddy."

It took him off guard a moment, but Marinette was quick to leap into action. "And you need help finding them?"

The boy smiled and nodded. "Yup. You're Ladybug. I _know_ you can help me find them. You're the bestest superheroes ever."

Adrien couldn't help but grin. The kid had wandered over to them because they were dressed like superheroes he liked. Not that it wasn't a bit unsettling, but it was also kinda cute. "What's your name, kiddo?" Adrien asked, kneeling in front of him.

"Thomas."

"Do you know your last name?" Marinette asked.

"Um…"

Adrien took that as a no. "That's okay," he said, catching sight of a security guard wandering through the crowd. "Now, stay with Ladybug, and I'm gonna go look around, okay."

Thomas beamed. "Okay."

Adrien grinned, then ruffled the kid's hair before heading over to the security guard. He briefly told him of the missing child, which the man called in over the radio before following Adrien back to where Marinette was asking Thomas what his mom and dad looked like.

The security guard knelt down before Thomas. "We should go look for your parents."

"But mommy taught me not to go with strangers," Thomas whined, looking back at Ladybug and Chat Noir.

Adrien shared a glance with Marinette, who looked somewhat amused with it herself.

"How about this," Chat Noir said. "I'm gonna put you up on my shoulders, and that way you can look around and try to find your mommy and daddy. Okay?"

The kid looked positively ecstatic at the prospect. "Okay!"

Thomas was pretty light, and Adrien was able to put him up in his shoulders easily. Then, with the security guard beside them, they started wandering through the crowd, trying to find a pair of people that matched the description Marinette gave them.

However, before they could get too far, the security guard's radio buzzed. "We found the parents."

They wandered over to the other side of the building, Thomas soon shouting, "Mommy!"

"All right," Adrien said. "Down you go." In one smooth motion, he hoisted the kid off his shoulders and onto the ground so that he could run to his mom.

After a sweet little reunion of the worried mom clinging to Thomas, she looked back up at them. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Marinette said. "We're just glad we got him back to you."

"Thank you, Ladybug and Chat Noir," Thomas said, waving at them with the hand he wasn't using to hold his mom's hand.

"You're welcome, kiddo," Adrien said, kneeling down again. "Stay close to your mom, all right?"

"Okay."

With one last wave, Adrien and Marinette turned to head back toward the heart of the festivities. "Cute kid," Adrien said, slipping his hand in his wife's.

She nodded. "Really cute. Is it too much to hope that never happens to us, though?"

Adrien's heart skipped a beat. He knew that Marinette wanted kids at some point, but that was the first time that Marinette had specifically eluded to _their_ kids. To them _having_ kids. "We can always hope," he said, giving her hand a squeeze. "That'd be enough to give me a heart attack. Maybe we should invest in leashes or something."

Marinette giggled, but she leaned closer to him. "With you as their father, I think that might be a good idea."

* * *

**_27._****_Marinette & The Agrestes_**

"Did you see the headlining article?"

Marinette frowned. "Of what?"

"Of every single fashion gossip rag."

A smirk slowly crossed her face. "No."

He dropped the copy of the magazine he was holding on the counter. "You, my darling."

"What?"

"Yup. Ever since my father took you in as his apprentice, people have been freaking out."

"Why?" Marinette asked, her brow furrowed in confusion. "What's the big deal about it?"

"People think that my father is playing favorites, which… I may agree, but I don't particularly care because even though he's paying extra attention to you, he _is_ making you start at ground level and move up in the company."

Marinette glanced over the article titled 'Marinette and the Agrestes'. "Huh," was all she had to say about it.

Adrien grinned, taking her under his arm and pulling her close. "Did I mention I'm proud of you?"

Marinette grinned. "Maybe once or twice."

Adrien smirked before pressing a kiss to her hair. "I'm proud of you."

"And you're okay working for your father's company?" Marinette asked. "You don't feel like you're trapped or you have to or anything, right? Your degree was in science, not business."

Adrien shrugged. "Work isn't that bad. I really don't mind working for my father's company, particularly since he's already expressing that he'll want to hand it over to us one day. I'm more than happy to handle the business side of a company you'll take over."

"_We'll_ take over," Marinette said. "Only if _you_ want to."

Adrien smiled. "Princess, I honestly am perfectly fine working for my father. Because one day, I'll be working for you—rather,_ with_ you—and that's a dream come true. I'll be the one behind the scenes of the company making sure you can live out your dream."

"But what about _your_ dream?" Marinette asked.

Adrien sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Do you want me to be completely honest?"

"Yes."

"I want to be a dad," he said. "And when the time comes for that to happen, being in this business will allow me to be present in my kids' lives."

Marinette blushed.

Adrien felt his own face get hot. "And in the meantime, I'm really enjoying fencing and teaching younger kids in my free time. That's a lot of fun."

"I just don't want your dream to get lost in the midst of this," Marinette said.

With a growing grin, Adrien reached up to cup Marinette's cheeks. "I'm happy," he said. "Really, I am. And I promise I will tell you if I'm unhappy. Okay?"

Marinette's worried expression gave way to a grin. "Okay."

"I love you."

"I love you, too."


	9. Chapter 9

**_28._****_Adrien Dupain-Cheng_**

It wasn't exactly how they wanted to spend a Wednesday. But Marinette loved her parents and Adrien loved his in-laws, so of course they'd help run the bakery while Tom and Sabine were out delivering a wedding cake.

Adrien had been given a crash course in how to run the cash register and picked it up surprisingly quickly. Even when he stumbled through something, he still managed to get through all transactions in good time, and his natural charm won over several regular customers who asked where Tom and Sabine were.

It also helped when he mentioned he was their son-in-law.

Between the two of them, Marinette and Adrien successfully held down the fort while Tom and Sabine were out.

"Thank you so much," Sabine said once she and Tom returned.

"We're not doing it for free," Adrien said, smile already showing he was teasing. "I want any leftover croissants for tomorrow morning, and a family dinner tonight."

"Oh, I _suppose_ I could manage that," Sabine said with a dramatic sigh.

Adriene reached over to hug her. "Love you."

Sabine quickly returned the hug, patting his back. "We love you, too."

Two days later, when Marinette and Adrien returned to the shop because they had run out of croissants, they were greeted by a laughing Tom.

"We've had an interesting last couple of days," Tom said, with a grin. "Do you know how many regulars were asking for Adrien Dupain-Cheng?"

It came as a surprise, but soon enough "Adrien Dupain-Cheng" became their favorite name for Adrien.

* * *

**_29._****_Bien Joue_**

Adrien watched as Marinette dried dishes in silence, her gaze unfocused and distant. It was hard to miss, considering she nearly dropped one of the dishes he handed her on the ground.

"Hey," Adrien said, having already emptied the sink and was now drying off his hands. "What's going on?"

"Sorry," she said. "I… I guess I was just lost in thought."

"Want me to help you find your way through them?"

She sighed. "Not… really," she began. "Mostly because… I'm trying to figure out how to start."

"Point blank," Adrien said. "Something's on your mind. Just tell me."

She bit her lip, her gaze not breaking from his. "Do you think we're ready for kids?"

The words shocked him, knocking the air out of him for a moment.

"I mean," she continued. "We're twenty-five, solid in our careers, financially stable. And we did just move out of our apartment last year to a house that's our own and—"

"Marinette," Adrien interrupted, instantly stopping her rant. His smile was growing, and excitement bubbled up in him. "I think kids sound like a great idea."

Slowly, Marinette's expression shifted from worried to excited. Then, in a flash, she wrapped her arms up around him.

Adrien held her tight, the prospect of being a dad slowly sinking in. His smile grew as he held her tighter. They going to try for a baby.

* * *

Adrien soon came to realize that baby-making was a little different than just love-making.

Baby-making was a mission.

It started out with love-making, but there was always that lingering thought in his mind that he was trying to create something with her. To knock her up, get her in the family way, whatever you wanted to call it. And so, despite picking up their game, of nights ending tangled up… _anywhere_ in the house and once in the car, of mornings beginning wrapped up in the sheets, their mission was not accomplished, their failures marked with a week of bloody cotton in the trash and a particularly moody Marinette.

It was a quiet morning, one after a romantic dinner and a night crazy enough to knock the covers off the bed. He was awake but refusing to move unless he wanted to wake up the woman snuggled against his chest. And he didn't particularly want to. He was relishing the feeling of just being with his wife, of not being tangled up with her, but just…being quietly together.

"What are you thinking about?"

Adrien looked down at Marinette, whose eyes still looked a little glazed from sleep as she looked up at him. He smiled. "Us," he admitted, running his hand up and down her back.

She hummed. "What about us?"

"Just… us. About quiet mornings with you. I… I guess before we were anxiously trying for a baby."

Marinette's eyes lowered in thought. "Are you having second thoughts?"

He shook his head. "No," he said. "That's not it at all. It's kinda the opposite. We've spent the last three and a half months trying for a baby. Like, _trying._"

Marinette grinned at that.

"But… I guess I missed just quiet mornings like this with you. Where we were together without using every opportunity to make a baby. I want a baby, but I miss us actually being us."

They stared at each other a while, Adrien watching as Marinette processed his words. "I guess you're right," she said. "We really have been caught up in sex to make a baby."

He nodded. "I love you. And I love sex with you, but I don't want to miss the point of being married to you."

Marinette smiled up at him, then shifted, her hand coming behind his head and pulling her close to meet her lips. He submitted to her touch, happily letting her pull him over her. He cradled her in one arm, using the other to prop himself up so as not to squish her.

She was also the first to pull away. "I love you, too," she said. "And even though sex with you _is_ fantastic, I understand what you mean. Lately it… has it felt different to you? Us together?"

"A little bit," he admitted. "But we both want a baby, so that was always my driving force behind it."

Marinette nodded. "Adrien, will you humor me?"

"What with, princess?"

She blushed. "If you were…" she paused. "How do you want to spend this morning? If we were just to spend a morning together, what would you do?"

He smiled. "Well," he began. "I'd probably start off the morning with a couple more kisses from you."

She grinned. "Okay." She leaned up, stealing a kiss from him. He happily sank into the kiss, relishing the way her hands carded through his hair and across his shoulders.

"And then," he said, pulling away, "I'll probably lay a couple other kisses on you."

"Oh yeah?"

He hummed his agreement before pressing his lips to her neck. She gasped in surprise, but quickly hummed in pleasure.

He went lower still, to her collar bone, down her sternum, top of her stomach…

And then blew a raspberry right above her bellybutton.

She squealed, quickly curling up to escape him. "Adrien Agreste!"

He was laughing. His face was pressed into the mattress and he was laughing. He didn't see her grab the pillow until it was too late. It collided with his head, stunning him only for a second before he reached for his own pillow. "If that's how you want to play."

"You started it," Marinette said, smacking him again.

Now both of them were laughing as they exchanged blows with the pillow, Marinette barraging him with attacks that pushed him off the bed to the floor.

He was quick to find a way to drag her down with him, ending in them being tangled up in a non-sexual embrace.

Eventually, they got their act together and got ready for the day.

"I have errands to run," she said. "Best of luck at the meeting."

"Okay," Adrien said, walking up to her to exchange a kiss.

Except she just tapped his lips with her finger before walking right past him.

"No kiss?" he asked, only slightly put out.

"Nope. Not after what you pulled this morning, kitty," she called back, swinging the door open. "Bye."

The door shut behind her, and Adrien couldn't help but grin. He guessed he deserved that one.

The door opened again, and Adrien looked back to see Marinette peeking through the door with a large grin on her face. "I love you."

His heart warmed. "I love you, too, princess. Have a good day."

"You, too." And with that, she headed out again.

Adrien was sure he was smiling like an idiot, but he really couldn't care. He was the luckiest man alive to be married to that woman.

* * *

Fast forward two months, Marinette showed him the little box she'd bought from the store. "Do you want to find out now?" she asked with a grin, "Or after we put the other things away?"

Adrien looked at his wife holding a little purple box with the words "pregnancy test" written on it. He smiled. "Get going," he said, playfully smacking her rear to shoo her toward the bathroom. "Mostly because I can't tell if your just excited or doing the potty dance."

"Both," she said. "I've had to go since I left the store."

"Go!" he said, chuckling as he watched her scurry away.

He loved that woman.

He put away half of the items before hearing the bathroom door opening. He abandoned the rest of the bags on the floor to head toward the bathroom, where Marinette was standing with a smile.

His heart was soring with hope. "Positive?"

A smile split her face as she nodded.

In a few large steps, he swooped her into his arms and swung her around while she squealed.

"Mission accomplished!" he shouted, pumping his fist in the air.

She giggled as she set him back down on her feet. He then stuck out his fist. "Pound it!"

She stared at his extended fist before looking back up at him. "You're such a dork. I fear for our children."

"Hey! Our children are going to be ten kinds of _paw -_some."

"And _that's_ why I'm worried."

Adrien chuckled. "Come on, don't leave me hanging."

She shook her head, but her smile never faded as she returned the fist bump. "Pound it."

Before she could pull her hand away, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her in against his chest, wrapping his arms around her and pressing a kiss to her head. "Bien Joue," he whispered again, his heart practically soaring as she snuggled up against him.

"Bien Joue, kitty," she whispered back. "Bien Joue."

* * *

**_30._****_Us Against the World_**

It was her tenth anniversary. It was a lot to take in; ten years of being married to Adrien Agreste: the most wonderful, incredible, supportive, dorky man in the world.

She was the luckiest woman alive.

They had planned for this evening. There would be a fancy dinner, a walk home together, and then private time alone. They needed it being busy with the eighteen-month-old getting into everything—especially if the kitchen is involved—and a curious four-year-old who never stopped asking questions.

For now, they were at home, spending a quiet time together until her Maman and Papa could come over to watch the kids. Adrien held a little girl, her blonde hair an exact match for her father's. Considering her habit of liking anything with a kitty on it, Marinette had the distinct feeling she'd pick up on his cat pun habit as well. Emilie was a daddy's girl, but considering that Adrien was about the best dad in the world, that wasn't surprising in the slightest.

Marinette was playing with Hugo as he played in his little fake kitchen that had once been Emilie's. Anything with food, and Hugo had to get his hands on it. Papa thought for certain he was going to take over the family business, and honestly, Marinette thought that might very well happen.

"Mama, mama!"

Emilie came scampering over to her, Adrien watching fondly. "Come have a tea party with us!"

"How about this?" Adrien said, standing up and walking over to them. "You and mama have a special tea party together, and I play with Hugo."

"Come on, Mama."

"All right," Marinette said, shooting a grin at her husband as he quickly got involved in Hugo's cooking adventures. "I'm coming."

Marinette let Emilie lead her over to where the tea party was set up on the floor. Honestly, this was one of Marinette's favorite things; enjoying time with her kids and her husband. Ten years of marriage, and this was what she got out of it.

Not a bad life, if she said so herself.

Halfway through the tea party, the doorbell rang. "I got it," Adrien told her.

"Mimi and Papi?" Emilie asked excitedly.

Marinette nodded.

With a squeal, Emilie scampered over to the door. "Mimi! Papi!"

Giggling, Marinette picked herself up off the floor and headed over to her parents. "Thanks for showing up on short notice," she told them, giving her mother a hug. It had been disappointing but understandable when the babysitter had called and been forced to cancel because of an accident she'd been involved with. It wasn't anything serious, thankfully, but it certainly threw a wrench in their plans.

"Oh, like we could say no," her mother said with a wide grin. "We love our grandkids. We're almost offended that you didn't ask us to babysit them in the first place."

"Well, we would have, but you were busy and we didn't want you to cancel your plans—"

"They actually canceled on us," her father said, taking her in her arms. "So we were free to spend time with our grandkids without any guilt."

Marinette giggled. "Still, thank you."

"Anytime, sweetheart."

"Well," Adrien said, clapping his hands together. "We trust you with the kids, so Marinette, let's make a break for it while we can."

Laughing all the while, Adrien pulled her towards the garage while her Maman and Papa were shooing the two of them out of the house. "Have fun!"

Marinette only giggled.

The two of them were soon driving to only-Adrien-knew-where, rain already coming down hard.

"Ten years," Adrien said, breaking the silence. "You have been my wife for ten years."

"Can you believe it, kitty?" she asked.

"No," he said, picking her hand up off his knee and kissing it. "If feels like we were in high school yesterday and I was giving you an umbrella hoping you'd forgive me."

Marinette smiled fondly at the memory. "We've faced so much," she commented.

"Yeah, but I couldn't imagine having anyone else by my side. Since then, it's been me and you against the world, and I just can't fathom it any other way. How'd I luck out so much?"

"I find myself asking the same question."

Lightning lit up the sky, and a rumble of thunder shook the car.

"Are we going to make it to dinner?" Adrien asked, his eyes locked on hers as they paused at a stop light.

She smirked. "Your choice."

"_My _choice?" he asked, flipping on his blinker and driving towards somewhere clearly different than his previous intended destination. "My choice is you. Hands down. Every time."


End file.
